The Whitney community is mourning the death of 17-year-old Louise Jean Wilson, who was fatally shot in what authorities called a road rage incident in Houston Sunday, December 10.
Wilson was traveling to Galveston on I-45 with two male passengers when the shooting occurred in downtown Houston. Houston authorities reported that Wilson moved into the right lane to avoid a collision and unintentionally cut off a black sedan. The driver of that vehicle, described as a black male in his 20s, reportedly accelerated and began firing into the driver’s side of Wilson’s vehicle.
Wilson was fatally shot, and another passenger was shot and treated for an injury described as non-life-threatening. The other male in Wilson’s car was not injured.
In a press conference, Houston police said that Wilson’s last act was to pull over and come to a complete stop, which likely saved the lives of her two passengers.
The suspect fled the scene after the shooting.
In the press conference, Louise’s father, Daniel Wilson, said that she was just trying to go to the beach to watch the sunrise with her boyfriend on her day off work. “She ended up dying a hero,” he said. “She was shot through her heart, and she was still able to safely pull over the car and save people in her car and other people who were driving. She wanted to help people, and she helped them.”
Her father also encouraged the suspect or anyone with information to come forward. “Just think about what you took from this world and what she could have done,” he said. “Lay that on your conscience.”
Funeral services were held Tuesday, December 19, at Marshall and Marshall Funeral Directors in Whitney.
A GoFundMe account has been established to assist the family and can be found at https://gofund.me/4c3ab955.
A candlelight vigil was held outside of the family’s Whitney home last week as the community gathered to remember Louise, who was well known to the public through the jobs she worked in town and her volunteer work with local organizations.
Houston authorities are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.
Wilson’s full obituary can be found on page 4 of this edition.
